NBA champion Warriors undecided on potential White House visit

The White House has extended an invitation to the NBA champs, but will the Golden State Warriors accept?

Author:
Tegna

Published:
4:13 PM EDT June 13, 2017

Updated:
4:13 PM EDT June 13, 2017

The 2017 NBA champion Golden State Warriors have not yet decided if they will visit the White House to celebrate their title.

"Today is all about celebrating our championship," the Warriors said in a statement released Tuesday, hours after the team dethroned the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. "We have not received an invitation to the White House, but will make those decisions when and if necessary."

The Warriors' statement comes less than 24 hours after Clemson visited the White House to honor a national championship win against Alabama in January, in which President Trump said the Tigers “won a championship game for the ages.” Several New England Patriots players declined to attend the Trump White House ceremony in April, though a significant amount of the team still made the trip.

The tradition of sports teams visiting the White House dates to the 1800s. The Warriors made a visit after winning the 2015 NBA title, while the Cavaliers went to the White House last year after beating Golden State in seven games. Both championships came during the Obama administration.

The championship-winning Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs also visited the White House under Obama.